Got expelled from school for scoring low marks in Class 10, later cleared UPSC exam in first attempt, became IPS officer with AIR…, he is...
It's not how far you fall, but how high you bounce that counts. And nothing can explain this much better than the success story of IPS officer Akash Kulhari. He was even expelled from school for scoring low marks in Class 10th. Yet, he cracked the UPSC exam on his very first attempt.
Hailing from Bikaner, Rajasthan, IPS Akash Kulhari completed his early education at a local school. After securing just 57% in his Class 10th board exams, he was denied admission to Class 11 by the same school. Undeterred, his father enrolled him in Kendriya Vidyalaya, Bikaner. There, Akash dedicated himself to his studies and scored a remarkable 85% in his Class 12 exams.
He earned a B.Com degree from Duggal College. He then pursued a Master's degree (MA) from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Following his MA, he enrolled in an M.Phil program and simultaneously began preparing for the UPSC examination.
Akash Kulhari secured All India Rank(AIR) of 273 in the 2005 Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam. At present, he serves as Inspector General (IG) (Public Grievances)/Director General of Police (DGP) Headquarters in the Uttar Pradesh cadre.
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They were handed over to the Foreigners' Regional Registration Office (FRRO), taken by rail and road to eastern states, and sent to Bangladesh via land borders. • But after Pahalgam, there has been some urgency. 'Over the last one month, around 3-4 special flights went from the Hindon air base in Ghaziabad to Agartala to drop all illegal migrants,' a police officer said. Cumulatively, over the last six months, about 700 illegals have been sent back to Bangladesh, he said. • Initially, directions were given to Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) of all 15 districts to conduct verification drives and detain illegal Bangladeshi migrants and Rohingya. 'Then, a team of the first battalion of Delhi Police and FRRO officials travelled via trains taking the detained illegal migrants to West Bengal. They then took the bus and handed over all illegal migrants to the Border Security Force (BSF), and finally deported them to Bangladesh,' a source aware of the operations said. 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Major jowar producing states are Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. • Moong, a pulse crop, saw the lowest hike of just 0.99 per cent—to Rs 8,768 per quintal in KMS 2025-26 from Rs 8,682 per quintal during the last season. Moong is grown in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. • Like moong, paddy has also seen a low hike in MSP. The MSP for paddy (common) and paddy (Grade A) has been fixed at Rs 2,369 and 2,389 per quintal, respectively, which is just 3 per cent higher compared to the last season. The reason for the low hike in MSP for paddy is that the government has record stock of rice in the Central Pool. • In a separate decision, the Union Cabinet chaired by PM Modi approved the continuation of the Interest Subvention (IS) component under the Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS) for the financial year 2025-26, and approved the required fund arrangements. Under MISS, short-term credit is provided to farmers at an 'affordable interest rate' through the Kisan Credit Card (KCC). 'No changes have been proposed in the structure or other components of the scheme,' said an official statement. Do You Know: • The concept of Minimum Support Price (MSPs) was first proposed throughout the 1960s. The government declares minimum support prices for a total of 23 crops throughout each farming season. The Minimum Support Price (MSP) for a commodity refers to the price at which the government is obligated to purchase the produce from farmers in the event that the market price falls below this threshold. Consequently, Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) serve as a baseline for market prices, guaranteeing that farmers obtain a specific minimum compensation to cover their cultivation expenses and potentially generate some profit. The Minimum Support Price (MSPs) fulfil an additional policy objective. 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Which of the following factors/policies were affecting the price of rice in India in the recent past? (UPSC GS1, 2020) (1) Minimum Support Price (2) Government's trading (3) Government's stockpiling (4) Consumer subsidies Select the correct answer using the code given below: (a) 1, 2 and 4 only (b) 1, 3 and 4 only (c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4 THE IDEAS PAGE Good news in single digits Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc. Mains Examination: • General Studies I: Poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies. • General Studies II: Issues relating to poverty and hunger • General Studies III: Inclusive growth and issues arising from it What's the ongoing story: C Rangarajan and S. Mahendra Dev writes: Our analysis shows that most of the poor are concentrated around the poverty line — this makes poverty more manageable. Key Points to Ponder: • What is Poverty? • How poverty is defined by different international institutions?? • What has the Multidimensional Poverty Index stated about India's poverty levels? • Classifications of poverty-Know in Detail • Poverty estimation in India-How Poverty is defined in India? • Alagh Committee (1979) Lakdawala Committee (1993), Tendulkar Committee (2009), Rangarajan committee (2012) and their poverty estimation. • What do you understand by the term 'head-count ratio'? • What do understand by Private Final Consumption Expenditure (PFCE) and Government Final Consumption Expenditure (GFCE)? • What is poverty line basket? • What does the basket of goods include? • Poverty Alleviation Programs in India by Government of India • What is the current 'level' of poverty in India? • Why are poverty numbers important? • What is the household expenditure and consumption survey? • Who releases the household consumption expenditure survey? • Which committee recommended monthly per capita consumption expenditure? • Pre-Independence Poverty Estimation vs Post- Independence Poverty Estimation-What changed? • The erstwhile Planning Commission formed a number of expert groups to determine the number Key Takeaways: C Rangarajan and S. Mahendra Dev writes: • The Household Consumption Expenditure Survey for 2022-23 and the 2023-24 reports by the National Statistics Office (NSO) enable us to arrive at estimates of poverty and inequality for recent years. Several researchers have drawn up estimates using the 2022-23 survey. Very few have, however, used the 2023-24 survey. We look at trends in head count ratio, the depth of poverty and trends in inequality from 2011-12 to 2023-24. • The poverty lines (monthly per capita consumption expenditure) based on the methodology of the Rangarajan Committee for rural areas are Rs 972 in 2011-12, Rs. 1,837 in 2022-23 and Rs 1,940 in 2023-24. The poverty lines for urban areas are Rs1,407 in 2011-12, Rs 2,603 in 2022-23 and Rs 2,736 in 2023-24. In other words, for a family of five living in an urban area, the poverty line in 2023-24 will be Rs 13,680. The estimated total (rural and urban) poverty ratios declined from 29.5 per cent in 2011-12 to 9.5 per cent in 2022-23 and to 4.9 per cent in 2023-24. Poverty declined significantly between 2011-12 and 2023-24 (2.05 percentage points per annum), though the rate of decline was slightly less compared to the period 2004-05 to 2011-12 (2.2 percentage points per annum). • The World Bank recently released a Poverty & Equity Brief for over 100 developing countries. It says India has significantly reduced poverty over the past decade. Extreme poverty (living on less than $2.15 per day in purchasing power parity terms) declined from 16.2 per cent in 2011-12 to 2.3 per cent in 2022-23 — more than 170 million were lifted above conditions of extreme poverty in this period. The number of people below the poverty line criteria for lower-middle-income countries — $3.65 per day — fell from 61.8 per cent to 28.1 per cent. • Poverty declined significantly between 2022-23 to 2023-24. In a year, it fell from 9.5 per cent to 4.9 per cent. What can this achievement be attributed to? Poverty is determined by factors such as GDP growth, prices and safety nets. GDP growth increased from 7.6 per cent in 2022-23 to 9.2 per cent in 2023-24 — an increase of 1.6 percentage points in one year. • The head count ratio is criticised on the ground that it does not measure the 'depth' of poverty. It is seen, however, that more than 50 per cent of the poor lie between the third and fourth quarter of the poverty line. This is true for both the years — 2011-12 and 2022-23. In fact, in 2022-23, 56 per cent of the rural poor and total poor fall in this segment. In a similar vein, a large section of the non-poor are just above the poverty line — between 115 and 125 per cent of this yardstick. Do You Know: • Poverty can be defined as a condition in which an individual or household lacks the financial resources to afford a basic minimum standard of living. Economists and policymakers estimate 'absolute' poverty as the shortfall in consumption expenditure from a threshold called the 'poverty line'. The official poverty line is the expenditure incurred to obtain the goods in a 'poverty line basket' (PLB). Poverty can be measured in terms of the number of people living below this line (with the incidence of poverty expressed as the head count ratio). The 'depth' of poverty indicates how far the poor are below the poverty line. • Six official committees have so far estimated the number of people living in poverty in India — the working group of 1962; V N Dandekar and N Rath in 1971; Y K Alagh in 1979; D T Lakdawala in 1993; Suresh Tendulkar in 2009; and C Rangarajan in 2014. The government did not take a call on the report of the Rangarajan Committee. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Poverty debates in India Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme: 3. As per the NSSO 70th Round 'Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households', consider the following statements: (2018) 1. Rajasthan has the highest percentage share of agricultural households among its rural households. 2. Out of the total agricultural households in the country, a little over 60 percent belong to OBCs. 3. In Kerala, a little over 60 percent of agricultural households reported to have received maximum income from sources other than agricultural activities. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 2 and 3 only (b) 2 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 4. In a given year in India, official poverty lines are higher in some States than in others because (2019) (a) poverty rates vary from State to State (b) price levels vary from State to State (c) Gross State Product varies from State to State (d) quality of public distribution varies from State to State ECONOMY Indian players double down on Na-ion chemistry as China tightens Li-ion stranglehold Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Main Examination: General Studies III: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life What's the ongoing story: A super-fast charging sodium-ion (Na-ion) battery that can charge up to 80 per cent in just six minutes and claims to last over 3,000 charge cycles, nearly comparable with the more ubiquitous lithium-ion batteries. This is a breakthrough claimed by a research team at the Bengaluru-based Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR). Key Points to Ponder: • What is a sodium-ion battery? • What is a lithium-ion battery? • Sodium-ion (Na-ion) battery and lithium-ion battery-compare and contrast • What are the advantages is associated with sodium-ion batteries over lithium-ion batteries? • Which metal is a critical component in sodium-ion battery cathodes? • Why is India focusing on sodium-ion battery technology? • Lithium reserves in India are largely found in which states? • Know the strategic importance of sodium-ion battery technology for India's energy and industrial security. Key Takeaways: • Beijing controls the global lithium-ion battery supply chain as well as the world's lithium refining capacity used for battery storage and electric cars, and now has two of the biggest li-ion battery makers — CATL and BYD. • Developed by a JNCASR team led by Prof. Premkumar Senguttuvan and Ph.D. scholar Biplab Patra, the new battery is based on a 'NASICON-type' chemistry, a class of polyanionic materials with a known structure in electrochemical materials, but with a significantly enhanced performance claim using novel material engineering. Unlike conventional sodium-ion batteries that suffer from sluggish charging and short lifespans, this new battery uses a smart mix of chemistry and nanotechnology to demonstrate a significantly lower charge time and more charge cycles. • There is more promising work in the sodium ion battery tech that is happening in India. In February this year, Pune-based KPIT Technologies and Trentar Energy Solutions Pvt Ltd, a company targeting the electrical mobility and energy storage space, announced a collaboration on sodium-ion battery technology. • While lithium is the more common element being used in rechargeable battery manufacturing, the stranglehold of China in this sector is a cause for worry, especially given Beijing's willingness to weaponise its dominance over particular technologies. Its Li-ion dominance notwithstanding, Chinese companies are also stepping up their play in the sodium ion chemistry. CATL, the world's biggest battery maker that supplies Li-ion batteries to Tesla and GM, has said it will mass-produce by the end of 2025 its patented 'Naxtra' sodium-ion battery packs that would enable an electric vehicle to travel up to 500 km on a single charge. Do You Know: • Given that lithium-ion batteries are made of scarce and expensive elements such as cobalt, nickel, copper and lithium, technology companies worldwide have been looking for alternatives. Sodium offers multiple advantages: it is way more abundant than lithium and can be extracted from seawater at relatively lower costs, unlike lithium, where availability is concentrated in a few countries and mining includes hard-rock excavations in regions other than the Li-triangle comprising Argentina, Bolivia and Chile; and sodium is more environmentally friendly and can be transported at zero volt, making it safer, unlike lithium, which is less environmentally friendly and must be always stored with a minimum charge, increasing fire risks. • Also, a sodium-ion battery uses aluminum, which is cheaper than copper used in the lithium-ion battery tech. Sodium-ion batteries also have a higher operating temperature range and are hence safer, given that these can be used in more extreme temperatures without the risk of thermal runaway. • But the sodium chemistry has its problems too: given that this battery technology is still in its nascent stage, and very few companies operate in this segment, leading to higher costs. Sodium-ion based batteries have limitations of flexibility as they cannot be turned into various shapes like prismatic, cylindrical, and these are less energy dense and have less storage capacity compared to lithium-based batteries. Sodium-ion batteries also typically have a much lower cycle life as compared to the cycle life of commercial lithium iron phosphate batteries, which could be upwards of 8,000 times. • The team at JNCASR engineered a novel material for the anode and optimised it in three critical ways — shrinking the particles to nanoscale, wrapping them in a thin carbon coat, and improving the anode material by adding a small amount of aluminium. These tweaks,the scientists say, made sodium ions move faster and more safely, enabling both speed and durability. • Beyond just cost, these sodium-ion batteries could potentially power everything from electric vehicles and solar grids to drones and rural homes, making clean energy accessible where it's needed the most, a Department of Science and Technology statement said. The technology has been tested and validated through high-end methods, including electrochemical cycling and quantum simulations. What makes it especially exciting is that it not only supports rapid charging but also avoids the fire and degradation risks of traditional batteries. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍India's foray into the EV battery market lacks some key ingredients Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme: 5. In the context of electric vehicle batteries, consider the following elements: (2025) I. Cobalt II. Graphite III. Lithium IV. Nickel How many of the above usually make up battery cathodes? (a) Only one (b) Only two (c) Only three (d) All the four EXPLAINED Size of economy: India vs others Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: General Studies III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment. What's the ongoing story: Recently, Niti Aayog CEO declared that India had overtaken Japan to become the fourth-largest economy in the world. Key Points to Ponder: • The IMF in its recent WEO report said what? • As per recent IMF data, India has become the world's fourth-largest economy by surpassing which country? • What is India's nominal GDP as projected for 2025 (FY26)? • The term 'nominal GDP' refers to what? • India's position as the third-largest economy in the world is based on what measures? • What does the term 'Purchasing Power Parity' signify in economic terms? • Why India's PPP GDP is higher than its nominal GDP? • Why is India ranked as the third-largest economy globally under the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) model? • Distinguish between nominal GDP and PPP-adjusted GDP. • Discuss the significance of India surpassing Japan to become the world's fourth-largest economy. Key Takeaways: • Over the weekend Niti Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam declared that India had overtaken Japan to become the fourth-largest economy in the world. He based this claim on data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). • This claim reportedly led to two fairly divergent reactions. —First, a wave of self-congratulation among Indians who take this particular detail as a clinching argument that the government of the day has brought about a fundamental improvement in India's economy. —Second, an examination of the claim and a counter-assertion, again based on IMF data, that India is still the fifth-largest economy, not the fourth. • India is the third largest economy in the world, and, the fact is, it has been that way since Prime Minister Manmohan Singh-led UPA days. CHART 1 India's GDP (dark green line) breaking away from the rest of the bunch. India became the third largest economy in 2009, when it, curiously enough, overtook Japan. • There is one more pertinent break in this chart: It comes in 2016 when China overtakes the US as the largest economy in the world. The year 2016 is crucial as it was the year when the US first elected Donald Trump and what has followed since is a dedicated US policy to contain China's growing economic might not just under Trump but also under President Biden. Do You Know: • In nominal GDP terms (CHART 2), the Indian economy has made giant strides in overtaking some of the biggest economies. Of course, the Indian economy gets the credit for growing at around 6% to 7% on an average since 2004. But to get a complete picture one must also look at the trajectory of the economies India has overtaken or is in the process of overtaking. Barring the US and China, almost all western developed economies largely stagnated since the Global Financial Crisis of 2008. Japan is an extreme case: Its annual GDP in 2025 is projected to be lower than what it was in 1995 — 30 years ago. It is much easier for any government to claim credit on nominal GDP terms. But in PPP terms, even though India has improved in its level over the years, its rank or relative position has not changed. India was the third largest economy long before the current government took charge. Using the PPP metric affords no political mileage. • If Indians look beyond petty points-scoring across the political divide, it will become clear that the Indian economy has a long, long way to go before even attempting to fake prosperity. CHART 3 brings this out by mapping the per capita nominal GDP. India overtook the UK in 2021 in aggregate nominal GDP terms but look at what has happened to per capita GDP. In 2021, India's nominal per capita GDP was $2,250 and UK's per capita GDP was $46,115 — that's more than 20 times India's. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Cultivating a global farm For any queries and feedback, contact Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. Priya Kumari Shukla is a Senior Copy Editor in the Indian Express (digital). She contributes to the UPSC Section of Indian Express (digital) and started niche initiatives such as UPSC Key, UPSC Ethics Simplified, and The 360° UPSC Debate. The UPSC Key aims to assist students and aspirants in their preparation for the Civil Services and other competitive examinations. It provides valuable guidance on effective strategies for reading and comprehending newspaper content. The 360° UPSC Debate tackles a topic from all perspectives after sorting through various publications. The chosen framework for the discussion is structured in a manner that encompasses both the arguments in favour and against the topic, ensuring comprehensive coverage of many perspectives. Prior to her involvement with the Indian Express, she had affiliations with a non-governmental organisation (NGO) as well as several coaching and edutech enterprises. In her prior professional experience, she was responsible for creating and refining material in various domains, including article composition and voiceover video production. She has written in-house books on many subjects, including modern India, ancient Indian history, internal security, international relations, and the Indian economy. She has more than eight years of expertise in the field of content writing. Priya holds a Master's degree in Electronic Science from the University of Pune as well as an Executive Programme in Public Policy and Management (EPPPM) from the esteemed Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, widely recognised as one of the most prestigious business schools in India. She is also an alumni of Jamia Milia Islamia University Residential Coaching Academy (RCA). Priya has made diligent efforts to engage in research endeavours, acquiring the necessary skills to effectively examine and synthesise facts and empirical evidence prior to presenting their perspective. Priya demonstrates a strong passion for reading, particularly in the genres of classical Hindi, English, Maithili, and Marathi novels and novellas. Additionally, she possessed the distinction of being a cricket player at the national level. Qualification, Degrees / other achievements: Master's degree in Electronic Science from University of Pune and Executive Programme in Public Policy and Management (EPPPM) from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta ... Read More
